The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is taking measures to protect investors by adding companies suspected of fraud on a list known as PAUSE.

On September 15, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) added 29 companies to its Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities (PAUSE) list. PAUSE stands for Public Alert on Unregistered Soliciting Entities. It is believed that these companies provided investors, the majority of whom are based outside of the United States, with information that was either fraudulent or deceptive in order to attract their capital. In addition to this, there is one fake regulatory agency and three fake businesses on the list.

The PAUSE list was created with the intention of warning regular investors about the danger of fraud perpetrated by unregistered corporations and other parties. Jose M. Rodriguez, who is in charge of the Office of Market Intelligence at the SEC, lauded the PAUSE list for being a useful resource for private investors. Investors should be vigilant since con artists frequently utilize counterfeit websites that mimic the appearance of those belonging to reputable companies.

There are now a significant number of new companies available, such as 247Bitxconnect, 44TradeOption, and Apex376 Partners LLC. Fraudsters such as FDX Advisors and Smart Capital Investment, LP, in addition to a fictitious regulatory body known as the Liquidation Assets Protections Board, are included in this list.

According to the press release, simply because a corporation is on the PAUSE list does not mean that it has violated any of the rules governing the sale of securities in the United States. Rather, the designation is intended to draw the attention of the appropriate authorities to behaviors that may be illegal. The list is routinely updated by the Office of Market Intelligence of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in collaboration with other SEC departments.